Charlize Theron’s Heart of Gold
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger
Photos: Facebook – Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project
Actresses are not born overnight. It takes a particular drive, determination and ambition to be the best. But you also have to have talent in your blood.
Charlize Theron is one such actress. She becomes an extension of every character that she portrays. Her award-winning performances have captured the hearts of her audiences along with her mesmerizing beauty and magical smile. She has taken such pivotal roles in movies such as ‘2 Days in the Valley’, ‘Mighty Joe Young’, ‘The Devil’s Advocate’ and ‘Cider House Rules’. She quickly climbed to fame with her Academy award-winning role in ‘Monster’ as the serial killer, Aileen Wuornos, and gave one of the best performances of her career. This was significant because Theron was the first African to win an Academy Award in a major acting category. ‘North Country’ earned her an Academy Award nomination. On September 30, 2005, Charlize received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The newest movie sure to be a hit and due out this month is ‘Young Adults’. Charlize plays a fiction writer returning to her hometown to rekindle a romance with an ex-boyfriend.
In late 2008, Theron was asked to be a UN Messenger of Peace by the UN Secretary General Ban K-Moon. This was a tremendous honor for someone so young. Her heart has opened to so many charities and foundations. They include Food Bank For New York City, PETA, Stand Up to Cancer, National Center for Missing and Exploited and Best Friends Animal Society. Theron helped to design and sign a pair of shoes for the Stuart Weitzman Charity Shoe Auction benefitting ovarian cancer awareness and research.
No matter how much fame has become a part of her life, Charlize is always true to the country and people of her origin.
Perhaps the most important part of Theron’s life is the foundation that she has developed and created. The Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project was created by Charlize Theron in partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation. The goal is to create a safer, healthier and better life for impoverished children and their families in South Africa, most notably those suffering from HIV/AIDS.
In 2009, there were 5.7 million people affected by the deadly disease in the country. Children must be educated on how to avoid becoming infected, lifestyle changes required if they do become infected and how to avoid unwanted pregnancies. There are so many other factors working against the people of South Africa. High unemployment rates, malnutrition, limited access to clean water, high rates of gender violence and substance abuse all are factors that contribute to a society begging for a directional change.
Visiting the country and being around the children that have become a major part of her life gives Charlize satisfaction beyond words.
With her foundation she has taken on projects to make a difference in health and social welfare for the African people. Smiles come to the faces of many a small child when Charlize pays them a visit.
This past October, Charlize took part in an exhibition, Annenberg Space for Photography in Hollywood, for her AIDS charity and was the guest speaker. Celebrities such as Gabrielle Union and Sarah Silverman, showed their overwhelming support for this touching cause.
In 2010, the charity donated $50,000 to a foster home in Africa. This home became a place of refuge for orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children.
Charlize Theron has made such a positive impact on so many lives. She is down to earth and very grateful for the wonderful life that she leads. Now she wants to make sure that others can live in happiness and good health as well.
This is just the beginning for The Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Program. To find out more, go to:
Charlize Theron Outreach Project
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